Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which a therapist puts special cups on your skin for a few minutes to create suction.
It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures. One of the oldest medical textbooks in the world, the Ebers Papyrus, describes how the ancient Egyptians used cupping therapy in 1,550 B.C.
The cup is often heated with fire using alcohol that’s placed directly into the cup.
Also, in nowadays, we can use the rubber or plastic cups to create suction versus more traditional heat methods.
When the hot cup is placed on your skin, the air inside the cup cools and creates a vacuum that draws the skin and muscle upward into the cup. Your skin may turn red as the blood vessels respond to the change in pressure.
The cup is set in place for the certain time: usually between 5 and 10 minutes.
Any mild bruising or other marks usually go away within 10 days of the session.
The suction and negative pressure provided by cupping can loosen muscles, encourage blood flow, and sedate the nervous system. It helps to soften the scar tissue, release adhesive tissues, knots.
Cupping is used to relieve back and neck pains, stiff muscles, anxiety, fatigue, migraines, rheumatism, and even cellulite.